IN launching the second phase of his peace plan for Gaza, President Donald Trump announced a complex four-tier governance framework with Palestinians given no representation in the top three tiers and included only in a ‘technocratic committee’ with responsibility for little more than municipal affairs.

Trump placed himself at the head of the founding executive council of the Board of Peace to oversee Gaza’s governance. This is comprised of mostly pro-Israel Americans including his son-in-law, Tony Blair and a billionaire, with no representative from the Muslim world. This effectively means a colonial-style arrangement with outsiders being in control of Gaza. Not surprisingly, it met with strong disapproval from Palestinians. A Gaza Executive Board was established as a second-level council with several overlapping members from the top tier.

What attracted global attention and controversy was Trump’s proposal for an international Board of Peace, for which heads of 59 countries were invited. Notably, it excluded Palestinians. When its charter was leaked, it kicked off a diplomatic storm as it made no mention of Gaza but set itself up as a US-controlled global ‘organisation’ for ‘peace-building’ to rival the UN Security Council in its primary role in the maintenance of international peace and security. Trump himself made this explicit when he declared the Board could replace the UN. While its legality appeared doubtful, its broad remit extended to mediating global conflicts beyond Gaza.

The charter referred to the “need for a more nimble and effective international peace-building body”, berating “institutions that have too often failed”. It gave Trump, as chairman, sweeping authority and veto power, with........

© Dawn